Friday, 29 August 2014

Why Social Media Is The Unsuspecting Security Risk!

Whilst security systems are always evolving, so are burglars tactics. Social media has seen tremendous growth throughout the past 5 years and like many things people find a way to exploit this, in our case - burglars.
Sharing too much online puts you at risk. We recommend making your profiles private and ensuring that you only accept people you know and trust.
Here's how burglars exploit social media : -Holiday Countdowns - "3 Weeks until Ibiza!" may be something you're looking forward to, but it may also be something a burglar is looking forward to. Knowing if a premises is occupied or not makes a burglars job a whole lot easier. Burglars are not the only threat however, squatters could also use this information meaning you could return home from a relaxing break to find your property occupied! Checking In - Checking in at businesses is often encouraged and some places even offer rewards or discounts for promoting their social media accounts on your profile. As with the above scenario it to can notify a potential burglar that you are not in the premises and also put anyone you check in with at risk too.Property Damage / Building Works - Whilst you may want to show off your new extension or talk about storm damage to your property, it may be an indication you could be living elsewhere whilst work is undertaken. It may also suggest that your security systems are not armed if serious damage that leaves the property and vulnerable is shown.Room Layouts - Be wary of any internal photos of your property that you upload and share, burglars can piece together many different photos to try and map out your property before-hand to ensure the quickest entry / exit route. You may also inadvertently display valuables that they may want to specifically target.Events - When responding to event invites on Facebook it is often hard not to publicise your attendance, so it may be worth notifying the host via other methods. It can help a burglar plan his break-in and also give them ideas of the timescale you will be gone for.
All of these combined can make a burglary a whole lot easier for the potential criminal, by making your social media accounts private you can help prevent you and your friends / family from being targeted by the modern criminal.
If you are using social media you can follow IPS on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus & LinkedIn.